Antigay groups have lost on the big issue - equality - and they are attacking our courts for protecting it.

( New York, November 3, 2010 ) - Three well-respected Iowa Supreme Court Justices lost retention elections last night following a vicious campaign by antigay groups who targeted them because of the Court's 2009 unanimous marriage equality decision in Lambda Legal's lawsuit.

"Let's be clear about what happened in Iowa and what didn't happen: Three skilled jurists lost their jobs, but the Court's ruling in the case allowing same-sex couples to marry is still the law of the land, enshrined in the Iowa Constitution. Same-sex couples continue to marry in Iowa. Antigay groups have lost on the big issue - equality - and they are attacking our courts for protecting it.

"This spiteful campaign is a wake-up call to future voters who must resist attempts to politicize the courts. It is the responsibility of us all to protect the system of checks and balances that defines our democracy, and it continues to be our responsibility at Lambda Legal to make our case for equality, not just before judges, but in the court of public opinion.

"We are angry, but we also take the long view: The Iowa Supreme Court delivered justice that will outlast this political fight by upholding the Iowa Constitution's guarantee of equality for all Iowans. Seven jurists were posed a question by people who had been denied basic fairness guaranteed by the state constitution. The judges did their jobs with integrity - as they must.

"But the result in Iowa shines a light on a dangerous agenda to undermine the democratic system of checks and balances that has served us well for over 200 years. If an embattled judiciary were to lose its ability to protect our laws and constitution with impartiality, that would be a tragic loss for our country. We can't let that happen."

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